About our Founder
THERESA PIASTA
Founder & CEO, Puppy Mama
San Francisco, CA
Before founding Puppy Mama, Theresa Piasta was a Vice President at JPMorgan - spending six total years in the Investment Bank and Sales & Trading businesses at two Wall Street banks. Prior to that she served as an Army Captain in a Field Artillery Brigade. During her 14-month Iraq deployment in 2008, Theresa led a large team to defend thousands of soldiers and contractors residing on Forward Operating Base (FOB) Delta near the Iranian border. She was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for her service.
Theresa attended the Stanford Graduate School of Business Ignite program in 2016 and received a B.A. in Economics from Wellesley College in 2006. She also studied military science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a ROTC scholarship recipient and was a collegiate soccer player for two seasons during her time at Wellesley College.
Theresa grew up in Santa Rosa in Sonoma County - a beautiful city in California's wine country. She is fourth of seven children and has two of the most loving and supportive parents. Since a young age, Theresa's parents and grandmother have always encouraged her to aim for the stars and conquer her dreams.
Why Puppy Mama
After returning home from Iraq and later navigating the fast pace of Wall Street, I saw firsthand how a dog’s unconditional love can restore strength, connection, and joy during life’s most challenging moments. This journey revealed something universal: women everywhere were relying on their pups for emotional support, confidence, friendship, and community. I started Puppy Mama to bring those stories together — to build a movement where women connect through the love of their dogs, build a more dog-friendly world, and celebrate the profound ways our pups help us thrive.
Puppy Mama was born.
The Puppy Mama mission is to create a more dog-friendly world and to advocate for the healing power of canine therapy. The Puppy Mama community is a safe place for women to share stories of how their dogs have helped them thrive and navigate life’s challenges.
We are leveraging technology to deliver community and convenience to dog moms around the world so they may live a more connected and joyful dog-friendly lifestyle. Together, our passionate community is advocating for a more inclusive world for dogs and for the recognition of their profound therapeutic impact. With strength in numbers, we believe businesses will evolve their policies to welcome our “best friends” wherever we go.
– Theresa Piasta, Founder & CEO
Join the Pawssion global movement
Dogs of any age heal us and bring incredible joy to our lives. Isn't it time for us all to be able to bring our best friends wherever we go?!?
Only 8% of workplaces and less than 2% of restaurants are dog-friendly in the U.S. - and, there is much needed improvement around the world, as well.